Academic Standing

Download this Photo

When are standings updated?

Academic standings are updated on two occasions.

1. 6-Credit Threshold - When grades are submitted at the end of each semester or term (i.e. winter, spring, summer, and fall), a process automatically updates standings for students who have taken at least 6 credits since their last standing update. If students have not taken at least 6 credits since their last standing update, their standing will not be updated until they take at least 6 credits, regardless of whether they accrue those credits over one or multiple semesters. This 6-credit requirement for updating academic standings can be confusing, so here is a more in-depth explanation:

   • A standing can be updated after one semester or term with 6 or more credits. For example, if a student takes 15 credits in the Fall semester, his or her standing will be updated after the Fall semester because he or she reached and surpassed the 6 credits required for a standing update.
   • A standing could also be updated after multiple terms or semesters where the credits add up to at least 6. Many students will take less than 6 credits in one semester or term and more credits in a subsequent semester or term. For example, if a student takes 3 credits in the Summer term and 14 credits in the Fall semester, their standing will be evaluated based on those multiple semesters or terms as if it were one term where the student took 6 or more credits. Because they reached and surpassed the 6 credits required for a standing update, their standing would be updated after the Fall semester.
   • Standings are not updated multiple times a semester or term. If a student takes 12 credits in the Fall semester, their standing will be updated once after the Fall semester and will evaluate all 12 credits. Their standing will not be evaluated for each 6 credits.
2. Grade Changes - When grades are changed after the grade submission deadline of a semester or term (see above), those changes are reported weekly to the Academic Support Office (ASO) on Monday morning. Because this is a manual process and we only receive a list of grade changes on a weekly basis, there is often a delay between when the grade change is made and when the standing is updated. If students' grade changes have been posted on their transcript and they need their standings updated quickly, they may contact the ASO directly to notify them of the grade changes; the ASO can then update their standing accordingly.

What are the different standings?

*Because academic standings are only updated once a student reaches 6 or more credits, there could be multiple semesters or terms that combine to reach this 6-credit requirement. If that is the case, those multiple semesters or terms will all be evaluated as if it were one term where the student took 6 or more credits. See "6-Credit Threshold" above for more details.

How did I get to a Warning, Probation, Suspension, or Dismissal standing?

Students who have a semester or term* GPA below 2.0 will move down a standing (from Good to Warning, Warning to Probation, Previous to Probation, or Probation/Continued Academic Probation to Suspension or Dismissal). Students can only move down one standing per update, so for a student on Good to reach Probation, it would require two consecutive semesters or terms* with a GPA below 2.0. For a student on Good to reach Suspension, it would require three consecutive semesters or terms* with a GPA below 2.0.

*Because academic standings are only updated once a student reaches 6 or more credits, there could be multiple semesters or terms that combine to reach this 6-credit requirement. If that is the case, those multiple semesters or terms will all be evaluated as if it were one term where the student took 6 or more credits. See "6-Credit Threshold" above for more details.

How do I get back to Good standing?

Students who have a semester or term* GPA and cumulative BYU GPA at or above 2.0 will improve their standing (from Warning to Good or Probation/Continued Academic Probation to Previous).

Our office's (ASO) main goal is to help students improve their academic standing and succeed at BYU. Our advisors and peer coaches are awesome and would love to meet with you and help you make goals and plans to get back to Good standing. Go to Our Advisors to schedule an appointment.

*Because academic standings are only updated once a student reaches 6 or more credits, there could be multiple semesters or terms that combine to reach this 6-credit requirement. If that is the case, those multiple semesters or terms will all be evaluated as if it were one term where the student took 6 or more credits. See "6-Credit Threshold" above for more details.

What is the difference between Good and Previous standings?

Previous standing is the same as a Good standing (no holds, etc.) except it indicates that a student has been on Probation standing before. It also means that the student will go straight to Probation instead of Warning if they accrue 6 credits of less than a 2.0 GPA.

What is the difference between Suspension and Dismissal standings?

Please go to Suspension and Dismissal for more information about these two standings.